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B&Q WDH-610HA Compact Dehumidifier

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The B&Q dehumidifier is affordable and reliable. It operates at a low noise level, and although the bucket is slightly small and needs replacing regularly, it has an automatic switch off to stop it from overflowing. „

Advantages

" efficient for one room"

"compact "

Disadvantages

"power consumption"

Keep clean and dust free and get more than your moneys worth

i have been using this model for sometime and have found it warms the room incredibly once been running for couple of hours. First time running this winter has sucked up a full bucket in a few hours, amazing, the room FEELS dryer and i feel healthier as a result , for its size and age this little gem is more than adequate. Thank you

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I would not be without this item now, following original reluctance to buy one - every home should!

Product:

B & Q Dehumidifier

A few years ago we moved into a modern terraced house on the top of a hill. Actually it was quite a few years ago now as my daughter was still at Middle School. One of the reasons for choosing the house was that our old converted country cottage suffered with a bit of damp, we assumed that a modern terrace in a town and on an hill would not have any such problems. Well, we were wrong and we later discovered that the houses had been partly built and left unfinished when the builders went bust leaving the build roofless and open to the elements. Eventually they were finished to a price, but had insufficient damp course and leaving on-going problems.

One problem was the condensation build up, particularly in the front room windows and a dehumidifier was recommended as a solution. When we first considered buying one we decided they were just too expensive, but after heavy rain and cooking the condensation and damp floor was a problem. The roof was checked, the walls were checked and it was definitely attributed to having been stood part built for two years. So when a friend offered to lend us the money to buy a cheaper version from B & Q we agreed and he whisked us straight off in his car to collect one. We ran it to begin with solidly for 2 days, thereafter overnight whenever we had had rain and the main problem was cured. Without going into too much detail, we have been using the dehumidifier every night ever since. After that house we moved to another modern house, that we also discovered was damp, moreover this house was not insulated and did not have central heating so it was damp and cold. I believe the dehumidifier made our time there more bearable by eradicating a fair amount of the damp problem.

Recommended as suitable for an average three bedroom house, each of ours has been two bedroom, so the single dehumidifier was deemed suitable for the whole home. Now it its third home with us, at the other two it sat near the bottom of the stairs, here it sits on the wider fourth stair as the staircase turns. Thus on each occasion it was positioned central to the whole house.

As we have economy seven we run the heater overnight for three hours and generally in each home that has been sufficient to remove the excess dampness from the air and more importantly the fabric of the building. It certainly went a long way to helping anyway. During very wet weather or if we are drying a lot of washing in doors or when washing the floors we run it for a few hours during the day as well.

The system is not supposed to be moved for an hour prior to use, so any cleaning where it needs to be moved needs thought prior to switching it on. The unit is easy to operate having a dial on the top that doubles as an on/off switch. Generally as mine is on a timer at the plug, I just leave in the "normal" position. There is a frost warning light and the system is not supposed to be used in sub zero temperatures, which was a problem at our old house as the hall where it was positioned was very cold. However (touch wood) it continues to work despite those winters of abuse!

The unit only has a small reservoir due to its small size, however it is easy to empty and replace. There is an automatic cut off to prevent overfilling and a light comes on to alert the user. . I use the water for plants or to fill the dogs water bowl on occasions, which at our old house they preferred to the tap water!

The unit is very well designed and built, there is a carry handle on the top, which folds neatly into a recess and the intake grille at the front is easy to clean with a vacuum cleaner or cloth and general purpose cleaner. The unit is quite heavy to move, so it is best kept in one place for use and as mentioned it is deemed suitable for an average sized three bedroom house, so for a larger house, I'd suggest having two in different places.

I strongly believe that this unit has made a huge difference in our quality of life and it certainly seems to help dry the floors and the washing as well as improving the overall dampness and condensation issues we have experienced.

The noise level is a gentle hum that you soon get used to, even in the middle of the night and I am a light sleeper.

My unit stands about 50cm tall and 36cm wide with a depth of around 30cm.

Conclusion & Stars:

I recommend the B & Q Dehumidifier, it is compact enough to not be too troublesome to place and live with, yet large enough to cope with our demands. I would not be without one now and would not hesitate to recommend or buy the same model again.

5/5

Price & Availability:

I think we paid £89.00 for ours and I cannot get the B & Q website to work properly to check current prices. I do remember the price was about half of other larger units. My machine looks exactly as the Dooyoo photo so I would advise using that as a guide if you wish to seek out this model.

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Amazing and shocking product.

A couple of years ago, I noticed a large black patch of mould forming in the paintwork of our bedroom wall. Upon investigation, we discovered that we had a cracked roof tile and damaged sarking felt in the loft, which was causing water to leak in, slowly seeping down the wall over a long period of time. I was worried about the health problems associated with the mould, as I suffer from asthma, and although the roof was soon fixed and the cause sorted out, it did highlight a need to keep the damp levels down in our home.

As a family of five, we create a lot of water just by breathing! This, couple with lots of showers and steam created from cooking and drying washing indoors all contribute to high humidity levels. I get a bit of black mould forming by the windows, and lots of condensation, as well as problems with my lounge carpet buckling, which I believe was due to the humidity being too high when it was first put down. Opening windows is a great way of keeping moisture levels down, but not always practical in the winter months. I felt a dehumidifier would help to keep the humidity down to an acceptable level and reduce the risks associated with mould and mildew.

I did a bit of research into dehumidifiers before I made my choice. A lot of the compact ones did not have a very high extraction rate and were not very powerful. I wanted a machine that would get the maximum amount of water from the air, whilst being compat, easy to use and most importantly, CHEAP!!!! The B and Q compact dehumidifier ticked all the boxes, costing £70 and having the capacity to extract 10L of moisture from the atmosphere every day.

As the dehumidifier contains a coolant, it was important to keep it upright when transporting it home, and also to keep it upright and let it stand for a few hours before use. Turning the box on it's side is definitely NOT recommended!

I keep our dehumidifier on the landing upstairs. It is not in anyones way and will not get knocked over there. It is very solid and heavy, so is not liable to be accidentaly knocked over anyway. A hall or landing is a perfect place for this device, as all your rooms will benefit if is placed in a central location.

The product is very easy to use. It has a dial on the top that you turn to your desired humidity level. The dial tells you what is a "normal" level, and this setting is in the middle of the dial, which is usually where I set it. As you turn the dial, you can see how humid your room is, because the dehumidifier will click into action if the humidity of the surrounding area is higher than your desired setting. Therefore, if the dial is set very low when your machine clicks itself on, it means the humidity is very high. If the dial is set to "normal" and the surrounding humidity is "normal" the machine will automatically turn itself off.

The water is collected in a clear blue 4.5L container that slots into the machine and pulls out easily. Our tends to fill up completely in about 8 or 9 hours, and when the container is full, the machine turns itself off to prevent overflow. I then simply pull out the container and empty the water down the sink before replacing the container and turning the unit back on again. You can also run the dehumidifier for continuous use, by attatching a hose to the fiting on the back and running it straight into a sink, drain, or outdoors.

When we first had the mould patch upstairs, I ran the dehumidifier constantly, 24 hours a day. I was shocked at the amount of water that was collected and really wondered where that water would have gone if I hadn't had the machine. At first, it was filling up every few hours, but as things improved, it took longer to fill up, and I could see from the dial that the humidity level was going down.

The machine, in my opinion runs quite quietly, though opinions would probably vary on this. I find that if the machine is running at night, that the white noise and gentle hum helps me get to sleep, but maybe that is just me! I am not sure how much this machine costs to run, but when we were using it constantly, our bills were not overly high, so I think it must be quite economical. The machine creates a little heat, but this is a very small amount, and it could not be used as a heater, although when I hand clothes to dry near the dehumidifier, they do dry quicker.

The machine does not need much maintenance, but has a dust filter which needs cleaning every 2 weeks. This simply slides out and the dust needs to be knocked into the bin before you replace the filter.

When we had run the machine constantly for about 6 months, we noticed a sudden drop in performance. I wasn't sure whether this was due to a problem with the coolant, or whether the humidity of the house had suddenly gone right down. I left it off for a few weeks to let it settle, but it still didn't work properly. My hubby opened it up, although this is not advised and invalidates the guarantee and found loads of dust inside, which he hoovered out. We left the machine switched off over the summer, and only recently started using it again. I was pleased that the performance was back to normal again, as I had considered throwing the machine out.

Now Autumn is here, the machine is running constantly again, though I will stop using it again in the spring and summer. I would really recommend this product, as it is genuinely shocking how much moisture there is in the air in the average family home! Since we had the machine, my asthma and eczema have definitely improved and there is not as much mould and condensation around the windows, although ideally I would have 2 of these machines, one for upstairs and one downstairs.

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I would recommend it to anybody who has a need to reduce moisture in their home.

Over the past three year I have had problems with damp in my rooms. Suggested by one of my neighbours I bought my B&Q Compact Dehumidifier last September and paid 63.98 pounds.

About B&Q Compact Dehumidifier WDH-610HA:

A dehumidifier is a household appliance that is used to remove moisture from the air. They are mostly used for health reasons as humid air can cause mold and mildew to grow inside homes, which has various health risks. The one I'm writing about is produced by B&Q, given the full name, B&Q Compact Dehumidifier WDH-610HA.

The dehumidifier comes packaged in a cardboard box with an instruction booklet. It has a white body with a light blue bucket at the bottom of the front of the machine. Above the bucket there is an air inlet area. The machine is about 45cm high, 32cm long and 29cm wide with the weight of 9.8 kg. There is a carry handle on the top of the unit for moving. The control panel is light blue and next to the handle with three black buttons and one white knob. The three buttons are Operation indicator which illuminates when the machine is running; Bucket full indicator which illuminates when the bucket is full; Defrost indicator that illuminates when the ambient temperature is too low or the air filter becomes clogged. By the way the air filter is located on the back of the unit for collecting dust contained in the air. There are three setting on the Humidity control knob: Normal knob for operating with humidity controller between 50 - 70% relative humidity; Continuous knob is setting for working continuously if the environment is in very high humidity; the Off setting for shutting the unit down.

How does it work?

First, ensure that the unit is connected to the power socket; Second, make sure the water tank is correctly positioned; Third, turn the humidity control knob to the desired setting: Normal or Continuous; Fourth, the unit will shut down automatically when the desired humidity level is achieved in normal setting or when you turn it to Off position. Fifth, when the water container is full, you need first unplug from power source then remove the tank and empty the collected water. Then replace the bucket and switch the unit on again.

My personal experience:

My first impression of the dehumidifier was pretty good. It has pure white body with light blue bucket, the shape and colour of which reminded me of EVE in the film of Wall-E. However when I switched on my machine after unwrapping for 4 hours I realized I was a bit naïve. It made too much noise when it's working and I began to feel some regret for having purchased it. But when I saw the windows covered in condensation and the ceilings so damp I decided to tolerate the unpleasant sound. So from last Winter I turned the dehumidifier almost daily in a continuous setting and hoped my damp problem would be resolved. Every time when I saw the bucket full I was happy. To me it's a positive signal, which means the machine does reduce the level of humidity in the air. Indeed, it was very obvious that the level of humidity was down, particularly after hanging out the washing to dry in the living room or during an inclement period of weather.

However my expectation of the dehumidifier is beyond that. As I said earlier, I bought the machine for resolving my damp problem. After a few months of using it I can't see any improvement. The ceilings and floors in my bedroom and living room molded again after I cleaned them. In opposite, what I can see is the electricity bill up. Plus I created more housework, such as moving it from one room to another, emptying the bucket and cleaning the air filter, etc. So now to me the dehumidifier is more like a little white elephant of the old legend rather than the cute robot EVE.

In summary, considering its performance I would recommend it to anybody who has a need to reduce moisture in their home, but not because of the damp problem as I have.

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A good, basic, compact model that does what it says on the box

Over the years I have owned several dehumidifiers of different shapes and sizes. They have all done their job well, some have been noisy, some have been bulky. All of them have eventually broken!

I used to live abroad where the humidity levels were so high, even in a relatively small apartment, it was always necessary to run at least 2 dehumidifiers constantly in order to avoid mould and mildew forming. When I moved back to the UK I brought with me one of the machines thinking that maybe one day I would need it again. It took 8 years but I did find a use for it again when I moved into a new house. The downstairs is particularly damp, draughty and cold and was beginning to smell. The problem was solved almost within 24 hours when I plugged in the machine. This was a fairly expensive, compact machine. Unfortunately however, after about 6 months, it went the same way as all the other models I have owned and just packed up.

I didn't replace it immediately. Dehumidifiers are quite expensive and it just didn't seem like a priority. However, with winter approaching, the cold and damp problem seemed to come back and I have been forced to go out and buy another machine.

With the track record of all the machines I have owned, which have all been well known makes, I was unwilling to spend a fortune. The average price seemed to be about £150 but I decided to go for a far cheaper option. (I adopt the same policy with microwave ovens - I buy cheapish ones because most of them seem to be programmed to break just one week out of warranty. I won't tempt fate by going into how long I have owned the current one!)

The B & Q WDH - 610HA - 12R is a compact model priced at £79.98.

There is a 1.5 litre capacity water tank as well as a continuous drain function (although the hosepipe is not included) and the machine is capable of removing 10 litres of water per day at 30C 80% relative humidity.......................not a situation we are likely to find ourselves in in the UK.

The dehumidifier was packaged in a box not much bigger than the machine itself and was relatively easy to get from the store to my car, with a toddler also in tow! Beware though - the machine is 9.8 kg. Dehumidifiers do tend to be heavy machines.

There is a warning clearly stated on the front of the instruction booklet. After unpacking, the unit must be placed upright for at least 4 hours before use, in order to allow the cooling agent to stabilize.

The unit comes with a fitted plug, although there are very clear instructions and a diagram for if it is necessary for you to change the plug. What else would you expect from B & Q?! Altogether now...........don't just do it.............................

On the top of the unit is a carry handle. As mentioned earlier, these things are pretty heavy. Some larger models are actually on casters. The handle is very useful and also necessary, but it still is quite difficult to move these things around since the balance of the weight means that you inevitably end up with bruised shins if you need to move it any distance.

Also, on the top of the machine is the control panel. On this is the humidity control knob. There are basically 3 settings. On the "continuous" setting, the unit works continuously - best for a high humidity environment. On the "Normal" setting, the unit will shut down automatically when the desired humidity level is achieved (between 50 - 70% relative humidity), and of course on the "Off" setting the unit shuts down.

Also on the control panel is an operation indicator light, a full bucket lamp which illuminates when the bucket is full and a defrost lamp which illuminates when the ambient temperature is too low and the unit automatically starts to defrost. The defrost lamp also illuminates if the air filter becomes clogged.

On the top half of the front of the machine are the air vents for the air inlet as well as the air filter, and the water tank bucket is at the bottom of the front of the machine.

The air outlet is situated at the back of the machine as well as the hose stopper which needs to be removed if using the continuous drainage function. A PVC hose must then be connected to the drain tap and then run without any kinks to a drain. This function can be used if you need to run the unit but cannot empty the water tank regularly. I haven't ever used this since I get rather nervous that the hose pipe will move and I will end up with a flood!

The air filters collect dust contained in the air and in order to prevent dust from clogging the unit the filters must always be used. It is recommended that these filters are cleaned at least every 2 weeks and this can easily be done with either a vacuum cleaner or if very dirty can be washed in warm water.

After waiting for the necessary 4 hours I switched on my machine. I was pleasantly surprised that such a reasonably priced model was fairly quiet. I switched on to the continuous setting since I felt I had a fair amount of moisture to remove. The area I need the unit to cover is a hallway, one small/medium sized room and a small bathroom.

The unit is fairly compact and slim and easily fits into the small nook that I had prepared for it, conveniently situated next to a power socket.

Within a few minutes I could hear encouraging gurgling - I felt moisture was definitely being picked up. After just 30 minutes I couldn't resist having a sneaky look in the bucket to see if any drops had been collected, but like a watched kettle never boiling, the bucket remained dry. However, after a few hours I could see a small puddle had collected. 15 hours later, my bucket was full.

The 1.5 litre capacity is not huge - I think once things start to settle down a little, I will need to empty the bucket about once a day. This is one chore I really don't mind doing. It takes a matter of seconds since there is a bathroom next to the unit and can become routine as I collect the post each morning from the hallway. I would far rather that than have a larger unit that requires emptying less frequently since I am more likely to forget!

As well as the full bucket light illuminating, the unit automatically shuts off when the bucket is full, so as to avoid any spillages or flooding.

Within 24 hours of switching on the dehumidifier there was a noticeable improvement in the atmosphere. The slightly damp smell had gone. The area felt warmer and things like the toilet roll in the bathroom no longer had that slightly damp feeling to it.

Time will only tell how long this unit will live beyond it's warranty. It is a compact, basic unit. It doesn't have bells and whistles, or laundry flaps and timers like other models I have owned. But it is neat, as quiet to run as any other model and undoubtedly removes moisture from the air at a good rate. It feels solid and sturdy and is sold at an extremely competitive price. Whilst in warranty, I feel that if a replacement becomes necessary, B & Q are a company with a good reputation as well as convenient locations and I wouldn't be without a unit for long.

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Good for individual rooms

I bought my B&Q compact dehumidifier over 12 months ago. I had problems with damp in a room in which I dried clothes after washing them - which was causing some mold to grow on the ceiling.

I was suprised to see how much water the dehumidifier takes out of the air. Although I thought the 10 litre bucket would only need to be emptied every few days, I have found myself needing to empty it daily. Thankfully the cut off switch has never failed and always switches the dehumidifier off before the bucket overflows.

There is no doubt that the dehumidifier has rectified the problems with damp in the room in which it is used.

The bucket is easily removed to be emptied, and the dehumidifier switches itself back on when the bucket is returned into its spot. You have to make sure that the bucket is put in perfectly square though, otherwise it will not register that it has been returned and it will not switch itself back on. Once you have the 'knack' this is not a problem, but none the less it is an unwanted frustration.

The dehumidifier runs relatively quietly compared to other dehumidifiers I have heard. It has a sturdy handle on top which is hand for transportation. It is modern looking and is easy to clean.

The product is at the cheaper end of the market at £79.98. It is advertised as being suitable for a 3 bedroomed house, although because of my experience of needing to empty the bucket regularly I would recomend anyone who wants to lower the humidity in the whole house to spend a little more and get a bigger bucket.

Having said that if your humidity problems are confined to one area of the house then this product is an ideal way to rectify the problem at a reasonable cost.

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would be wary of buying, as although does the job seems to break down.

This is a great value for money dehumidifier, it does what it is supposed to. I bought this after having a condensation/damp problem, and could not believe how much water it sucked out of the air, needless to say the condensation problem stopped, and so did the dehumidifier.

After 3 months it stopped working completely. So i took it back to B&Q and was offered a no quibble refund or replacement, I opted for the replacement, however after I did the shop assistant told me that he had had 6 of them returned in the last week because of the same problem (may be a manufacturign fault) , but seeing that i had already exchanged it I took it home.

Now 3 months on again, it is making some worrying noises, so I am expecting another trip to B&Q in the not so distant future, only this time I will opt for a refund and buy a replacement else where.